Bringing Water Quality Home

Stormwater is evil

Native Trees are the solution

Topics

• What is a watershed? Who cares?• Major pollutants – nutrients and sediment• Reedy Creek – poster child for urban

watersheds• Best Management Practices to protect

water quality – Trees, Trees, Trees

What is a Watershed

CREEK CONNECTIONS

Box 10, Allegheny College, Meadville, PA 16335

http://creekconnections.allegheny.edu

A Watershed

Definition• The total land area that

contributes water (or drains into) a particular waterway.

• Can also be called a “Drainage Basin”

Flow: Groundwater Flow: Groundwater

Under the surface, GROUNDWATER is on the move

Infiltration or percolation

Source of illustration: http://www.epa.gov/region01/ge/thesite/groundwater.htmlSource of illustration: http://www.epa.gov/region01/ge/thesite/groundwater.html

Flow: Surface Runoff Flow: Surface Runoff

Surface Runoff can also be called “Overland Flow”

Over forested land, fields, grasslands, even parking lots

Source of illustration: http://www.epa.gov/region01/ge/thesite/groundwater.html

http://h2osparc.wq.ncsu.edu/info/phos.html

Creek Connections photograph

http://h2o.enr.state.nc.us/nps/What_is_NPS/urban.htm

Watershed BoundaryWatershed Boundary

Any water within the boundary of your watershed or precipitation that falls within the boundary will flow into your waterway.

Watershed ImpactsWatershed Impacts

• Land and waterway interaction

What we do on land affects our waterways

Source of illustration: http://www.epa.gov/region01/ge/thesite/groundwater.html

Watershed ImpactsWatershed Impacts

• Land and waterway interaction

What YOU do on land affects our waterways

Source of illustration: http://www.epa.gov/region01/ge/thesite/groundwater.html

Watersheds – Who Cares?

• All land is part of some watershed

• Surface runoff and groundwater carry pollutants from the land

• Land use determines water quality

Major pollutants carried by stormwater runoff

• Bacteria• Toxic chemicals – petroleum, pesticides,

herbicides, heavy metals, PCBs• Nutrients• Sediment

Nutrients in Aquatic Systems

1. Nitrogen (N)

2. Phosphorous (P)

3. Potassium (K)

Nutrients (continued)

Eutrophication- Too many nutrients enter aquatic system- Rapid growth of algae (bloom)- Algal population crashes and dies- Microbial decomposition uses up dissolved

oxygen- Fish kills, odors, taste problems in drinking

water sources

Eutrophic pond below point source

Nutrient Enrichment in Streams

• Removes habitat• Changes aquatic community

Nutrients (continued)Human Sources

- Agricultural/suburban/urban runoff- Loss of riparian areas and wetlands- Air Deposition (nitrogen from fossil fuels)- Wastewater effluent (sewage treatment and

industrial plants)

Sediment- Injures fish and aquatic

invertebrates

- Carries phosphorous (nutrients)

- Decreases light penetration (decreases SAV - Submerged

Aquatic Vegetation)

- Removes bottom habitat by filling in spaces between rocks

Effects of sedimentation

Lots of space between rocksfor aquatic insects and smallfish.

Little space under rocks.Rocks are “embedded” bysediment. Terriblehabitat quality.

Sediment (continued)Human Sources

- Stormwater runoff from urban/suburban areas

- Runoff from construction sites, agricultural fields, etc.

- Loss of riparian areas and wetlands

- Bank erosion from channelization/stormwater volume

Real World – Reedy Creek

Less Visible Problems

1. Fecal Bacteria – Reedy Creek is on Virginia’s “dirty waters” list

2. Nutrients

3. Sediment

4. Aquatic Life - Citizen data shows the community of aquatic

animals is severely impaired.

Too many “bad” bugs

Very Few “Good” Bugs

What are the causes?

1. Stormwater Volume – Reedy Creek is “flashy” due to rain water running off rooftops, streets,

driveways, parking lots, etc.

Concrete channels make the problem of stormwater volume

worse

Result of too much stormwater – Streambank Erosion

2. Stormwater carries pollutants– Sediment– Fecal bacteria– Nutrients– Toxic chemicals – petroleum, pesticides,

herbicides, detergents, etc.

Index of Biological Integrity vs.Impervious Cover

10 years?

20 years?

30 years?

Reduce Your Watershed Footprint

I. Reduce Stormwater1. Impervious surfaces

2. Semi-impervious surfaces

3. Slopes

(Goal = no water leaves property)

Solutions

Rain Barrels(Harvesting) Rain Gardens

(Infiltration)

Lawn Facts 1. Lawn covers 9.5% of

the Chesapeake Bay watershed – more than all row crops

2. Lawn is often semi-impervious – pathetic topsoil, compaction, and poor management

Why native perennials and native grasses are better than turf grass

Lawn Reduction

TREES And MORE TREES

Lawn Management

1. Mower Height – 3 inches or highest setting

a. Deeper roots = Healthier lawn

b. Reduced evaporation

2. Mowing Frequency – as little as possible

3. Improve soil with organic matter

a. Grass clippings

b. Mulched or composted leaves

II. Reduce Pollutants in Stormwater

Solutions

Fertilizers

• Soil testing and use of minimal amounts of fertilizer

• Slow-acting fertilizers are most environmentally friendly

• Pay attention to the weather – do not fertilize with fast acting fertilizers immediately before rain is predicted.

Pesticides and Herbicides

• Learn to live with pests – they are part of a balanced ecosystem

• Hand-weeding and hand-picking pesky insects can be therapeutic

• Plant something else• If spray you must: use least toxic, fastest

degrading option and pay attention to the weather

III. Help Wildlife with Diverse Native Vegetation

Plant Native Plants!!!!!!!!!!!!

Study Results• Native plants support

35x more caterpillar

biomass than alien plants.

• Native plants had

3x more insect species

than alien plants.

Native Plant Selection: Good, Better, Best

Best = Native Plant of Local Ecotype

Local Ecotype: a collection of plants originating in a specific area and therefore carrying genetic adaptations to that specific environment

(Source: Iowa Prairie Network) http://www.iowaprairienetwork.org/org/Positions/position-local_ecotype.shtml

Practical Considerations of Local Ecotype in Richmond

Smooth Sumac

Blackhaw Viburnum

BETTER (Next Best)

Wild Native Plant of unknown geographic origin

OR

Wild native plant of known geographic origin that is “far” away

Good (?)

Cultivars of Native Plants

Cultivar = Assemblage of plants that (a) has been selected for a particular character or combination of characters, (b) is distinct, uniform and stable in those characters, and (c) when propagated by appropriate means, retains those characters. (Source: Wikipedia)

Cultivar Properties of Concern1. Genetic diversity is low to non-existent a. Each plant is genetically identical if it is a clone

propagated asexually (cuttings)

b. Extremely limited genetic diversity if propagated by inbreeding

2. Unknown if full ecological value is retained. (Seed, nectar, leaf nutrition, pollinator attractants, etc.)

3. Geographic source often unknown – may not grow well in local environment

4. If cultivar sexually reproduces with native plants of the local ecotype it can potentially damage the gene pool of wild populations, especially if the same cultivar is planted widely.

Remove Foreign Invasive Species!

using trees to reduce stormwater runoff

http://www.slideshare.net/watershedprotection/using-trees-to-reduce-stormwater-runoff-formatted-presentation?type=powerpoint

save energy improve air quality provide habitat better quality of life neighborhood stability aesthetic values increase property value reduce noise good for business

trees are the original “multi-taskers”

Why integrate trees and stormwater?

• Potential benefits of trees in stormwater treatment practices: infiltration, pollutant removal, stabilization, habitat, reduced mowing costs, landscaping value

• Implementation of stormwater forestry practices has been limited - lack of collaboration among foresters and stormwater engineers (and city planners and transportation engineers and ….

• Use of trees (non-structural practices) is more cost-effective than use of structural practices

Stormwater forestry opportunities in a watershed

• Schools• Parks• Highway rights-of-way • Vacant lots• Streams and shorelines• Utility corridors• Street medians and roadways• Parking lots• Home lawns (education and incentives are key)

Opportunities to build urban tree canopy that can enhance stormwater treatment

and improve watershed health

What opportunities

are we missing?

Use trees to: block winter winds,

shade summer sun,

accent important views, and

screen private areas

Residential landscapes can be functional and beautiful

More shade means more time between repaving. 20% shade on a street improves pavement condition by 11%, which is a 60% savings for resurfacing over 30 years.

Planting along local roads

Reforesting stream buffers provides stream shading, bank stabilization, pollutant removal and

other benefits

stormwater drypond

alternative sidewalk design

Traditional sidewalk designs utilize individual tree pits (left) which confine roots; alternative designs cluster trees (right), which allows them to share rooting space. This reduces the

need for tree roots to grow under pavement.

Bioretention with trees

12th street green street, portland oregon

Infiltration = 4 inches per hours

Seattle SEA Streets

Seattle SEA (Street Edge Alternatives) Streets Project uses graded swales to reduce impervious cover by 11% over traditional

streets. Project has decreased stormwater volume by 97 percent.

Growing Vine, Seattle Washington

“beckoning cistern” by buster simpson

DEQ Links of InterestProbabilistic Monitoring http://www.deq.state.va.us/Programs/Water/WaterQualityInformationTMDLs/WaterQualityMonitoring/ProbabilisticMonitoring.aspx

Water Quality Standardshttp://www.deq.state.va.us/Programs/Water/WaterQualityInformationTMDLs/WaterQualityStandards.aspx

TMDLshttp://www.deq.state.va.us/Programs/Water/WaterQualityInformationTMDLs/TMDL.aspx

Citizen Monitoringhttp://www.deq.state.va.us/Programs/Water/WaterQualityInformationTMDLs/WaterQualityMonitoring/CitizenMonitoring.aspx

Watershed Organization Websites

• Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay- http://allianceforthebay.org/

• Center for Watershed Protection – http://cwp.org/ • Earth Sangha - http://earthsangha.org/

• James River Association - http://www.jamesriverassociation.org/

• Reedy Creek Coalition – http://reedycreekcoalition.org/

• Rivanna River Streamwatch - http://streamwatch.org/

Contact Info

Bill Shanabruch

Regional Biologist

DEQ – Piedmont Regional Office

804-527-5113

william.shanabruch@deq.virginia.gov